Bridge paving is one of the most technical and labor intensive paving applications. Typically, once the structure of a bridge is in place, guide elements are placed along the periphery of the area to be paved. The guide elements define a reference, and possibly a useable surface, for the linear movement elements of a paving machine.
Because the guide elements define a reference from which all paving operations will be measured, the guide elements must be positioned very precisely. Often, paving crews spend weeks or months surveying and confirming the location of each guide element to ensure that the resulting reference conforms to a design profile for the bridge.
Once all guide elements are in position, the paving machine is sent through a test run to ensure the paving machine can traverse the guide elements. Then an actual paving operation is performed.
The entire process can take several months, but the actual paving operation can be performed in a single day. Consequently, it would be advantageous if an apparatus existed that is suitable for allowing a bridge paving machine to pave a bridge more efficiently and with less preparation than the prior art.